The present invention relates to a gas-liquid separator for a vehicle-mounted fuel cell.
Vehicles having a fuel cell are equipped with a gas-liquid separator, which separates water from exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell after the fuel cell generates electricity. Such a gas-liquid separator has a case into which exhaust gas is introduced. Water is separated from the exhaust gas in the case. The water is then drained to the outside from a water storage region located at the lowermost part of the case. However, when the vehicle is inclined, the water stored in the water storage region can flow out to regions in the case other than the water storage region. This may adversely affect the drainage of water from the water storage region to the outside of the case.
The gas-liquid separator disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-234289 has a water-absorbing sheet that blocks the water storage region in the case. This restricts outflow of water from the water storage region when the vehicle is inclined. The gas-liquid separator disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-120503 has a partition plate having small through holes that blocks the water storage region in the case. This restricts outflow of water from the water storage region when the vehicle is inclined. Such restriction of outflow of water from the water storage region when the vehicle is inclined as in the above documents reduces adverse influence of the outflow on the drainage of water to the outside of the case.
If the water storage region is blocked with the sheet of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-234289 or with the partition plate of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-120503, outflow of water from the water storage region is restricted when the vehicle is inclined. However, the formation and installment of the sheet or the partition plate inevitably complicates the structure of the gas-liquid separator.